Timeless classics and modern masterpieces that challenge, inspire, and leave a lasting impact. Ideal for thought-provoking discussions.
All the Pretty Horses
Cormac McCarthy, 1992
301 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
March 2015
Steeped in mythology—and at the same time a myth-buster—All the Pretty Horses has become a modern classic. As much a hero's journey as any in ancient mythology, it undermines the very myth this country tells itself about the great American West.
That old West is gone, McCarthy seems to be saying, and with it the ideals of cowboy chivalry—basic goodness, an overarchng sense of justice, and the freedom of self-determination. Even the vast, wide open spaces have been fenced in and oil-rigged off.
But young John Grady Cole doesn't know that yet—or won't accept it. And he pursues his dreams to replace what's been taken from him.
In progress . . .
See our Reading Guide for All the Pretty Horses.
Catch-22
Joseph Heller, 1961
544 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
January, 2015
Catch-22—with its wild, dark comedic view of war, power, greed, and corruption—is one of the great works of the 20th century. Fifty years ago, the title itself landed in the popular lexicon, referring to a logical trap from which there's no way out: You must do A before you can do B, but there's no way to do A without first doing B. Tah-dah...you're stuck.
Like the twisted logic the title refers to, reading the book creates its own sense of absurdity. You love it, yet you don't. You find it hilarious yet horrifying. You end on a sense of hope but also despair. By the end, readers are left dangling—like the iconic figure on its cover.
Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison, 1952
581 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
October, 2014
One of the great American coming-of-age novels, Ellison's Invisible Man is the story of a young black man struggling to find his identity in white society.
The book was an immediate standout—critics and readers loved (and still do) it's rich variety of prose styles, its humor, imagery, and symbols. Yet its portrait of America is hardly flattering. The book was one of the first fictional works, and perhaps most widely read, to focus attention on the country's virulent racism—without the consoling sentimentality of an Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Moll Flanders: The History and the Misfortunes of the Famoius Moll Flanders
Daniel Defoe, 1721
368 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
June 2014
Virginia Woolf referred to Moll Flanders as one of the "indisputably great" novels of the English language. Yet not everyone thought (or thinks) so. Defoe was one of the founders of the new-fangled novel in the 17th century, and after more than 300 years of practice, it's tempting to find fault with those early steps. And so we do, but all the while admiring Defoe's brilliance.
Still, no one disputes this single fact: Moll Flanders herself remains one of the most dazzling heroines of all time.